Obscurity 3: The Search for Obscurity 2
by AbandonedRookery
Summary: Continuation of Obscurity. Several weeks after the end of Obscurity, Twilight Sparkle and three companions search for Obscurity 2 before it is too late.
1. The Message

**Obscurity 3: The Search for Obscurity 2: The Search for More Animatronics**

Chapter 1: The Message

* * *

It was a few weeks after Kimberly had been decommissioned. Copper Glow was asleep in her flat at about three o'clock on Thursday morning. She awoke violently when there was banging on her flat door. Taking no chances whatsoever with whoever may have knocked at this time in the morning, Copper Glow picked up her 608mm long spanner with the 75mm head and went to answer the door.

On the other side of the door was a messenger from the Institute, who handed her an envelope and said that she was wanted at the Institute at 2 pm. She opened the letter and began reading the letter inside immediately.

* * *

Special Institute Notice of security breach

17th July

 **URGENT**

 **SECRET**

All involved in and with the Autonoma Project

Mountains, Canterlot

At 12:37 this morning, an intrusion was registered at Site 14 Archival Department. Three equines, all males, attempted to access the archives regarding the Autonoma Project. On-site security responded rapidly, and the incursion was suppressed, although it is believed that an outside agent was involved. Several documents are unaccounted for, and, as one of the intruders was a unicorn, these documents may have been taken by this outside agent.

Due to the Autonoma Project's rating, this constitutes a minor security breach. Ensure all documentation relating to or referring to any part of the Autonoma Project is adequately secured, regardless of classification, when not in use. This is especially important for documentation relating to Hetman-3 "Homer" and Hetman-4 "Ellie", and Red Post-1 "Kimmeridge/STOUR" through to Red Post-6 "Prefect/DENT", all currently in operation.

Considering the potential invitation for personal intrusion and subsequent security breaches, all those involved are advised not to reveal a connection with the project. Furthermore, participants are advised against discussion with anyone outside the project about any part of it; the mishap involving Black Grass-4 "Vulcan/RAVEN" is excluded, due to the number of witnesses from outside the Institute, but workers must not go into detail. We appreciate that the NEMRA part of the project is positive about the recent decommissioning of Black Grass-3 "Kimberly/SKALA" after sixty years of operation without major or severe incident, but outside discussion of this desirable outcome is also strongly advised against. The Royal Exception currently applies, but this must be followed correctly.

Additionally, any intrusion and/or unauthorised removal of documentation must be reported within twenty-four hours of the discovery of said intrusion and/or removal. Any report outside this time frame will result in disciplinary proceedings, and withholding of incidents will result in dismissal. Valid and verifiable exceptions will be considered.

Furthermore, we will be investigating how these intruders managed to obtain information into the existence of the project. This will involve interrogation of the intruders, examination of all evidence, and questioning of those concerned with the project and evidence.

We report for your information.

Head of the Autonoma Project at the Utterham Institute of Design and Technology in Canterlot and Canterlot region.

Maj.-Gen. Shroud

 _"17" July_

* * *

When Copper Glow had finished reading the note, the messenger had disappeared. Copper Glow inspected the house and discovered that one of the kitchen windows had been forced open from the outside due to the damage to the frame. However, whoever opened the window had closed it behind them after they left. Deciding that it was probably best to check her own stash of documents, the red-horned unicorn deposited the spanner back in her toolbox and went to take a key from inside the pillow on her bed. She removed the grill from the ventilation shaft in the kitchen, and, with the key from the pillow, unlocked a small compartment in there. With the key from that, she unlocked a box hidden under the grandfather clock and used the key from that to unlock a hidden floor panel beneath her welcome mat. She removed a large black metal container with a ten-digit combination wheel, and unlocked it by entering 42-34-12-34-44, the Polybius Square for "robot". Inside was an assortment of different, everyday items that appeared to be of no interest to anypony after her important documents.

One of the objects in this assortment was a large hardcover book called Caravanning Complete. Upon opening the front cover, the book had been hollowed out and was used to store all of Copper Glow's important documents; all of these were unconnected with the Project, as Copper tried to leave as many documents as possible at work. These were checked against the index glued onto the back of the front cover. When she had confirmed nothing had gone missing, Copper Glow closed the box, put it back in its hole, and returned all the keys to their rightful places, before she decided on what to do next.

* * *

Later that morning, at about 04:10, Copper Glow arrived at Alexandria's house. She was about to knock when Alex opened the door slightly. This reminded Copper of the first time Alex had ever opened the door for her, as the younger unicorn had the same nervous posture and facial expression as she had back then – a worried face visible around the partially open door with the rest of her body hidden from sight. Alex opened the door wider, and Copper Glow entered.

Alex gave Copper a look that asked _Do you know how early this is?_

Copper Glow nodded and produced the note, hoping that Alex understood this as a request for help. Alex shrugged, and Copper Glow had the feeling that, although Alex would like to help, she wanted to inform her husband of what she was doing before she left and that Twilight Sparkle might be useful in the search. Copper Glow pondered this for a few seconds before she nodded in agreement.

* * *

Back at Copper Glow's house late in the morning and joined by Twilight, Alexandria was reaching out with her mind. Ponies didn't realise it, but their psyche left behind a remnant like a body leaving behind a smell. Alexandria saw past the heavy presences of Copper Glow and Twilight standing next to her and of the messenger from the night before. Looking further back, there were a couple of faint deposits from an intrusion.

Investigating this further, Alex was only able to identify that two intruders had entered Copper Glow's house, after her documents. Alex started to semaphore this to Copper Glow.

As Copper Glow was watching Alex, the postman arrived at the door, and posted letters; Twilight went to collect them. Amongst the letters was a postcard that simply said: "Meet me at noon at the village hall." Twilight noticed this and waved it in Copper Glow's face.

Copper Glow read it and looked at Twilight.

"I think an intruder wants to speak with us. Either that or someone who knows about it."

* * *

At noon by the village hall, Alex, Copper Glow, and Twilight were approached by an ivory coloured earth pony stallion who took them aside. A black pinstripe suit hid most of his bodily features, but he did have an excessively large brown moustache and was balding.

"If you have any missing documents, I might have some useful information." he said.

"What's that, then?" Copper Glow immediately questioned.

"Some anarchists are displeased with the Utterham Institute. The anarchists found out about some project or another involving sentient robots. Something science-fiction like that, anyway. They were desperate to found out as much information about it as they could, so they approached me to break into several places. I made a note of as many as I could remember."

He handed a scrap of parchment to Copper Glow. Going through the list, Copper Glow's eyes got progressively wider.

"Interesting?" asked the stallion, raising an eyebrow.

"Very interesting indeed. Where did they get these names from?" Copper Glow asked rhetorically.

"How did you get involved?" asked Twilight.

"I used to be an airship mercenary. A group of us split off from the rest, as we prefer to do slightly more legal stuff than what we used to do. The others are still after "blood and money" like they always have been. A couple of ponies who had completely covered every part of their bodies approached me yesterday. They asked me to break into the houses of the ponies on that list and remove any documentation regarding robots or whatever these ponies were after. When they told me what they were after, I realised that the public release of that information, which the anarchists could do, would be…explosive. Hence, I refused." answered the stallion.

"I had a couple of visitors last night. Wouldn't happen to have any sort of affiliation to you, would they?" asked Copper Glow.

"What are you talking about? I haven't told anypony, and I didn't break into your house either." snorted the stallion.

Copper Glow looked at Alex, actively thinking about how truthful the stallion was being.

Alex returned Copper's look. It was one that implied his thoughts were very well scrambled to the point that she couldn't break in without alerting him. On top of that, there was a desire to understand what was said, but, by listening to his voice, watching his outward behaviour, and feeling his emotional state, she could tell he wasn't lying.

Copper Glow turned to the stallion and told him that Alex couldn't speak and was unable to understand what was being said. The stallion scratched the back of his neck.

"I wish I could help more, but the characters who approached me, as I said before, had completely covered themselves. I have no idea who they were. Anyway, I have to speak to the other ponies on that list." The stallion said, taking back his scrap of parchment before walking off.

Twilight turned to her companions.

"What should we do next?" asked the princess.

Both of Alex's stomachs growled, and the unicorn gave a look that said that she was a tad hungry.

"I have to mention this to the Institute and tell them what's going on. But, seeing as Alex wants to eat, let's have lunch now, and we can visit the Institute later." planned Copper Glow.

The trio located a nearby café, where Alexandria wolfed down half a dozen cheese sandwiches and a couple of slices of cake, while Twilight had a hay burger and Copper Glow had two rounds of toast. Both Twilight and Copper Glow got the impression that Alexandria would have been perfectly happy eating double what she had.

Twilight paid the bill, and the trio departed for the train station. The train arrived half an hour later and took them to Canterlot. During the journey, Alexandria bought some food off the onboard trolley. Copper Glow shifted closer to Twilight and whispered in her ear.

"Did Kimberly mention Alex's eldest daughter?"

Twilight replied that Kimberly had spoken much of her adoptive grandchildren, particularly the eldest, now a mare, who was so hungry as a baby that Alexandria had to buy in milk for her.

"Well, she's heavily pregnant; she's due any day now."

Twilight remarked that Kimberly would have loved to have met the baby.

"She would have been chuffed to bits; none of the other animatronics had or have children. But it was hard for her to look after Alex, harder than she liked to tell us; she probably didn't want to lose Alex."

The two fell silent until they reached the Institute. When they entered, Copper Glow put on a green and white striped pass, while the receptionist handed Twilight a pink one and Alexandria a yellow one. Copper Glow went to meet Shroud.

* * *

 **A/N** I'm back; I know it's been a while. I hope you've enjoyed this chapter, and please review if you're inclined. If you're curious, yes - you can buy a spanner that big.


	2. The Journey

Copper Glow came out of her meeting with Shroud. Twilight and Alexandria were waiting for her outside. Twilight and Alexandria approached Copper Glow, and the three of them started walking to the exit.

"How did it go?" asked Twilight.

"Not bad. Shroud was interested in these anarchists, so he wants to speak with that chap with met earlier today. However, some documents about the NEMRA side of the project have gone missing, and, as I'm both the Design Authority and the sub-project manager for NEMRA, Shroud wants me to return the documents. He also wants me to return the documents that I wrote detailing my search for unlicensed animatronics." replied Copper Glow.

"NEMRA?"

"It stands for Nano-Electro-Mechanical Relay Animatronic. It's what Kimberly was, and is informally referred to as the 'Black Grass' or 'Allerton' type."

"Why can't the Institute's security deal with the missing documentation?"

"They're busy at the moment: the Institute is a tertiary education provider, and there are several open days this week. Cancelling them would cause suspicion and disruption."

The trio almost collided with an unshorn suri alpaca, who was humming, and a unicorn when they went around a corner. The alpaca, wearing a striped brown, green, and white badge and holding a dark green mug with gold lettering asking 'Am I being as offensive as I could be?', was a chocolate brown colour with a white patch underneath his chin and lead coloured eyes. He was tall enough that both Copper Glow and Alexandria could barely see over the top of his shoulders. The unicorn was off-white, possibly a very light beige, with a brown mane and tail, and wore a red shirt covered in white leaves, a red, light blue and dark blue Argyll sweater, black trousers, and a black cricket blazer with red and gold stripes. Both his eyes and his pass were purple.

"Ah, Copper. You're here about that break-in last night, aren't you?" asked the alpaca, with a Dorsetshire accent, with a nod to Alexandria.

"Yes, I am. Shroud's asked me to find the missing NEMRA documentation. Don't really know how I'm going to do it, though." Copper Glow sighed.

"I'll finish here with Prefect, and then I will find you three so we can have a chat about what we're going to do." commanded the alpaca, mispronouncing the letter 's' as a 'z'; while Nightwish was careful about how she said things, causing her West Country mispronunciations to be barely noticeable, the alpaca's mispronunciation was particularly strong.

Copper Glow, Alexandria, and Twilight found somewhere to sit. Twilight asked who the alpaca and the unicorn were. Copper Glow replied that the alpaca was called Tait Girling, a Principle Technician within the Institute, her deputy for the NEMRA side of things, and a Colour Serjeant in Civil Protection and Defence. Twilight was to refer to him by his surname unless permitted by the alpaca to call him 'Tait'. The unicorn, Prefect, was the final unit of the six in the Red Post series, and a fifth-generation NEMRA. Twilight had heard about the CPD, a rather good volunteer gendarmerie set up in response to the uselessness of the Royal Guard.

Twilight then asked about the passes. Copper Glow explained that escorted visitors wore completely red passes, unescorted visitors wore orange, contractors and students, along with restricted staff, wore yellow, and security wore blue. Unrestricted, non-security staff wore green, royalty wore pink, animatronics and other "specials" had purple passes, and the former Committee of State Security used to wear grey. Emergency services wore white as a solid colour. Red stripes indicated fire marshals, white stripes indicated first aiders, and brown either as a solid colour or as a stripe indicated a member of the CPD. Alexandria was a particular case - because of her telepathy, she would be able to find information out be mind-reading if she wanted to, which the Institute was aware of, but the management still wanted staff to be cautious around her.

"But what about black?" asked Twilight.

A scruffy white unicorn security guard who was passing by, with a white mane and tail but black eyes and wearing a blue jacket and peaked cap, glared at Twilight. A brown and blue pass hung from the left breast pocket of the guard's jacket.

"Black passes are not for discussion, princess; we cannot tell you." growled the guard before he stalked off.

"That's Pip. He's been through Tartarus and back, hence the attitude." commented Copper Glow.

Tait found the trio of unicorns and approached them. Tait and Copper Glow quickly located an empty meeting room, and the four of them entered it. Copper Glow explained the situation and asked Tait for suggestions. He thought about it briefly.

"I'll have a word with some of my CPD friends; see what they can do to help. I'll gloss over the finer points, of course; say that there's an organised crime gang going around or such like. It might be worth having a word with one of 'Wish's minions as well. What about that bloke, whats-his-name, one with the purple armour?" asked Tait.

"That is his name – Purple Armour." replied Copper Glow.

Alexandria gave a look that said she had been trying to reach him all day.

"Fish-girl, what about her?" asked Tait

"Not too sure about the lakesponies. We can tell them about it, but as you said, we'll have to gloss over the more particular points. And her name is Water-Lily." answered Copper Glow.

"Well, let's contact those groups, and report back at Copper Glow's house at, say, 5 o'clock? If Alex was able to detect the mental remnants of the intruders into your house, then she may be able to tell us where they went."

The group started leaving as a deep male voice spoke over a Tannoy system.

"Attention all. TITAN Facility Process Computer reports Code 42. Repeat: TITAN Facility Process Computer reports Code 42. This is not a drill. This is not a drill. Initiate concealment procedures. Satellite launch cancelled. Advanced Development Laboratories, _Diligence_ Workshops, and Lambda Reactor Complex are now off-limits to all except skeleton crews."

"What's Code 42?" asked Twilight.

"It's the start of the open days." replied Copper Glow.

"Bring 'em on." growled Tait.

On their way out of the building, the group were passed by a mob of llama security guards. One of them was wearing a blue shirt and tie covered with buses and bicycles. He spoke to them.

"Look at this: Girling with three mares. Wouldn't mind a bit of that myself. Once said that to a stallion about his wife." claimed the llama.

Tait looked up at the llama with bit of a glare as they went, but said nothing to him.

"Someone needs to staple Albor's fly shut." grumbled Copper Glow.

"And the one who does takes their life into their own hooves." replied Tait.

* * *

While the others were out gathering support, Alexandria had attempted to hail Purple Armour but received no response, so she had spoken to the lakesponies in her own particular way – adjusting her facial expressions and posture, and tampering with the ''listener's" thoughts to something similar to what she was after. They reported no knowledge of this group but would apprehend them if they were found.

Alexandria had slipped off to be with her daughter, Explorer. Explorer shared her mother's sandstone coat, her red mane and tail, but her eyes, despite the gem-like appearance of her mother's eyes, were orange like her father's eyes. What made her stand out from her mother was a mottled green birthmark over what was now a very large and swollen belly. Alexandria sat on a couch with her daughter, and opposite her son-in-law.

"I wonder what they'll be." murmured Explorer, cuddling up to her mother and stroking her bloated stomach. Ratcatcher saw Alexandria's facial expression.

"Your mother knows. But we want it to be a surprise, don't we?"

Explorer hummed in agreement. "Pity Nanna isn't around any more - she would have loved to have met the baby."

* * *

Copper Glow had tracked down Mephistopheles; he wasn't too hard to find if you knew where to look. Copper Glow explained the situation as best she could. He replied that he had heard of the group, and was trying to infiltrate them, although he suspected that Polybius had already done so. Tait, meanwhile, had managed to find some other CPD members, and, like Copper Glow, explained the situation to them as best he could. They sympathised and decided to increase patrols.

* * *

The quartet met outside Copper Glow's house at the agreed time. Although those they had met were now aware of the cut-down version of events, none of them had joined the search for the missing documents. Although Twilight had noticed Tait's humming earlier in the day, she had started to filter it out subconsciously.

Alexandria began searching for the residual traces of a psyche. Around the kitchen window, she latched onto something. Yes, someone had been here, desperate for those documents. Alexandria waited for several moments ensuring that she was familiar with this pony's mental signature. She then began tracking it. Down this street, around this corner, into this square...

Alexandria dropped the trail. She was struggling to identify the one mind she was after from the hundreds that had been here since and marred the integrity of the intruder's mental residue. She almost found it again when she stepped to one side.

A J90 steam tram, with a pony sitting on the cowcatcher speedily laying track from a cardboard box labelled "spare track" that somehow contained the appropriate sections when needed, rounded the corner, and passed by. A battery electric locomotive was closely following. Twilight took a few moments to realise that the front of the second train was on a separate track to the J90 while the back end used the same track.

"What was that about?" asked Twilight.

"I think...there's some sort of a race on. Didn't realise it was today." replied Copper Glow.

Twilight heard a lot of noise from the same corner of the square that the trains had appeared from, and turned to look. A Leopard 2 drifted around the corner with a ZIL-131 fire engine, which had 'ЛАЭС' written on the cab door, in hot pursuit. Immediately behind these two vehicles were golf carts, heavy military trucks, buses, street cleaners, fire extinguisher propelled shopping trolleys, motorised bathtubs and sofas, an 18 wheeled delivery van with two trailers, concrete mixers, mobile cranes, dumper trucks, dustbin lorries, tractors, tank trucks, Italian supercars, and, in a grand finale, the police department being exceptionally reckless. Twilight looked mildly stunned while Alexandria, Copper Glow, and Tait seemed a bit unsurprised: they'd seen it before.

A few minutes after the fumes had cleared, Alexandria picked up the mental trail the group had been following. This led them to one corner of the square. Alexandria detected that a teleportation had taken place, and reported this to the others. Copper Glow thought strongly about following the teleportation. Alexandria thought about this before she agreed to do so.

Alexandria teleported the group to an abandoned tropical beach. Copper Glow thought it would be a nice place to be banished. Alexandria quickly located the trail and teleported the group two dozen steps from where they came in. This took them to an oriental themed house, which the team quickly passed through. Upon reaching the third location, a French home, Twilight was starting to feel a bit disoriented. In the fourth area, an industrial facility, Alexandria waited until Twilight felt better.

Alexandria felt a bit confused, as she detected two trails and a teleportation. She followed the teleportation, which took them to the inside of a caravan, where a pony was waiting with a shovel. Alexandria quickly teleported back to the industrial facility. She followed the other trail until she reached a machine. The trail stopped near a control panel. Tait had started humming changed to that of curiosity as he looked at the machine, and Copper Glow was also interested. Alexandria, at the control panel, replicated what their quarry had done before the others realised.

The group found itself in a snowy and barren landscape. The sky was a dark blue, almost black, and filled with pinpricks of light. In front of them was a vast plain, empty, and surrounded by steep mountains on the far side. An empty void was behind them. Alexandria collapsed almost instantly after entering this place, holding her front legs over her head as if she was trying to protect it from attacks. Copper Glow tried tending to her while Twilight and Tait looked around. In the snow, Tait saw something and stopped humming. Twilight quickly noticed this and looked at Tait. He pointed at several large black creatures, almost covered in white fur. These animals hadn't seen the group at the entrance until Alexandria cried in pain.

The white-furred creatures began moving. Tait screeched the alpaca warning noise, a sound like a rusted gate. Copper Glow picked up Alexandria magically, and the group ran away, towards the mountains. The group managed to put some distance between themselves and the creatures, but Copper Glow started slowing. Twilight offered to take Alexandria, and Copper Glow passed her over. The red-horned unicorn then sped up. At the foot of one of the many mountains, Tait spotted an exit, surprisingly well lit. He waited outside it in a protective stance while Twilight, still carrying Alexandria, passed through. Copper Glow almost passed through but saw something glowing in the snow nearby. She grabbed the items hidden underneath the snow and went through the exit. Tait followed her.

On the other side, they were in a different area of the industrial facility they were in before. Alexandria was lying down but looked much better. Twilight raised an eyebrow at her, asking what it was like in there. Twilight entered a world of unpleasant feelings, like she was simultaneously being nibbled to death by cats, pecked by birds, munched by sharks, electrically shocked, burnt, frozen, strangled, shot, trampled, beaten, and dragged backwards through the secondary hydrosystem of Sizewell B. It soon stopped, and Twilight distinctly felt that Alexandria was holding back on the worst of her experience.

Copper Glow examined what she had discovered buried in the snow. She held four bottles in front of her. They were all unique. One of the bottles had Twilight's cutie mark on it; the second had Copper Glow's rump design. The third bottle had the Greek letter Psi, presumably for Alexandria because of the links to telepathy. The fourth bottle, however, had a white ribbon on the outside, and on that ribbon were three downwards pointing chevrons under two crossed swords that in turn were beneath the Equestrian flag crossing the Dorset flag - the rank ensignia of a Colour Serjeant of Tait's regiment. Copper Glow made the reasonable assumptions that the place they had gone through was expecting them and that the bottles were explicitly for them. She stashed them in a personal hammer-space.

Alexandria had now recovered and stood up. After a few shaky steps, she picked up the trail and followed it to another teleportation site. She analysed this teleportation, which seemed unusual and different from the rest. Alexandria replicated it as best she could. The quartet was taken to the outside a house, and a party was going on around the other side of the house. Tait stuck his head around a corner and quickly retreated it.

''There's a younger version of you out there, Copper. She looks about 16." stated the alpaca.

''If so, and provided I remember correctly, this would have been Lucky's fifty-fourth birthday bash." claimed Copper, before looking at Twilight. "Vulcan was still around, then."

A voice from behind the group startled them.

"This Vulcan…he look something like...this?"

Twilight and the rest turned around to see the speaker, a unicorn. He was similar to Copper Glow in body shape, and his coat was papyrus coloured. His horn was brown, and his mane, tail, and beard were brown, with strands of gold in them. Green ribbons were in his tail, and his eyes were pink. He had a Robin Hood-style hat on, and had no symbol on his hip. Twilight recognised the voice, but not from where, and thought this character might have come from Burgundy. Alexandria also felt that this unicorn was familiar, and was trying to place him. Tait quickly recognised the unicorn, and his eyes widened in abject horror.

"Not really, no." replied Copper Glow.

The unicorn magically removed a pair of fake eyebrows. Copper Glow almost had a heart attack.

"Vulcan, it _is_ you.'' murmured Copper Glow.

"Yes, I am him. What's going on over here? Who is this yellow unicorn, and what of the purple winged unicorn?"

Twilight introduced herself, and Tait introduced Alexandria as a member of Lucky's future family. Copper Glow, now fully recovered, briefly explained that they were chasing some thieves. Vulcan nodded his approval and was about to let them go when he instructed them to hide. They did so, and very shortly after they had, with Tait trying hard to suppress his humming, Kimberly appeared with a field of pink and white flowers and ribbons in her mane and tail. Twilight peeked a glimpse and thought Kimberly looked significantly more innocent and carefree, not to mention happier if her broad smile was anything to go by, than when she had met Twilight. Twilight noted that, cosmetic differences aside, Vulcan and Kimberly looked near identical. The only visible difference was that Kimberly's hips were more substantial and rounder than Vulcan's hips; Twilight presumed this was done to reflect the gender difference between the two. Kimberly nuzzled Vulcan affectionately.

"Are you coming back to the party, are you?" asked Kimberly.

Vulcan chuckled.

"Yes, I am. I see you still need to concentrate on your speech." replied the male.

"Why's that, then? Oh, do you mean when I repeat the beginning of a sentence at the end, do you?"

Vulcan nodded. Kimberly giggled like a filly briefly, holding her left fore-hoof up to her mouth.

"It's a bit strange being the tallest mare out there by a good three inches, it i...no, concentrate." commented Kimberly.

"I suppose it would be, particularly with Allerton being two foot and nine inches. Certainly, if that big purple mare from the Committee were here, you wouldn't be the tallest mare out there." replied Vulcan.

"Oh, by the way, I've got those printouts for you. I'll give them to you afterwards."

"That reminds me, Kimberly: I have a little something for you." claimed Vulcan, lifting his hat and taking out what the four in hiding could recognise in seconds – the teddy bear that Kimberly named Boo-Boo.

Kimberly took it, her smile widening to the point it couldn't go any wider. She cuddled it and profusely thanked Vulcan. Vulcan prompted Kimberly that they should be returning to the party. When Kimberly wasn't looking, Vulcan nodded to the four in hiding. He unfurled a pair of wings from inside his back, which were brandy coloured things with a clear heart-shaped glittery bit in the middle, flapped them a few times, and began flying.

The ensconced quartet roused themselves from their hiding places and resumed following the mental trail, ensuring that they stayed out of sight of the party. Alexandria soon discovered the other teleportation site and followed it. Copper Glow looked around at her surroundings, thinking that they looked somewhat familiar, before realising that they were about fifteen minutes away from her house.

Tait looked at a pocket-watch and discovered that it was now about 19:30. He informed the rest of his companions of this, and they decided to have dinner at a nearby restaurant. When they were ordering their meals, the mare at the counter remarked that there had been a break-in overnight, and that the drinks machine had been fixed within the last ten minutes. Copper Glow looked at Alexandria, who didn't think anything suspicious was going on at the restaurant.

They received their meals, and all of them except Tait had a slurp from their drinks; Tait began eating straight away. Within moments, Copper Glow felt the world go hazy and grey as the light dimmed and sounds became muted. She heard, faintly, Tait screeching the alpaca warning noise, the sound of a skirmish, and a sickening thud before the world went utterly black.

* * *

 **A/N** _ЛАЭС,_ or LAES, is the abbreviation for _Ленинградская атомная электростанция_ (Leningrad'skaya Atomic Electricity Station).


	3. The Committee Building

_Twilight was in her castle, quietly reading. She heard a knock at the door and was about to answer it when she heard Starlight Glimmer open it. There was a torrent of barely audible but completely impenetrable Welsh, but, from the sounds of things, the source seemed eager about something. There was a pause, and Twilight heard Starlight responding, but couldn't make out the words. A few moments later, Starlight and Kimberly came in; Kimberly was holding a small bundle._

 _"What've you got there?" asked Twilight, getting up and walking over to Kimberly._

 _Kimberly held the bundle so Twilight could see it._

 _"I adopted her this morning." replied Kimberly._

 _"I didn't realise you wanted one."_

 _"I do. As I can't have one the usual way, I've been looking around, like."_

 _"At least you got to choose her. What's her name?"_

 _"She's called Alexandria."_

 _"Congrat..."_

Twilight's head hurt as she slowly swam upwards towards consciousness. She heard many voices, of all descriptions and volumes, but was incapable of understanding a word. Feelings she felt, feelings that were not hers. Twilight opened her eyes and thought the thing in front of her was a pile of shag carpet before she realised that it was an unconscious Tait.

The world looked strange to Twilight, appearing as if through fragmented green glasses. She put a hoof up to her face to remove them but struck herself. Twilight shook her head, not only in an attempt to clear her eyes but also the cacophony of unintelligible voices from her ears but to no avail.

Twilight looked around. To her left, sitting in the corner of the room, was Copper Glow. Twilight stared at her and felt a surge of emotions, including fear, confusion, and disorientation. But there was something else there as well. Twilight couldn't place it correctly, but settled on 'deafened by silence'.

Twilight then looked to her right, passing over the silent but living form of Tait, and saw...herself? Twilight felt confusion, fear, and disorientation also coming from her body, along with frustration. The occupant of Twilight's body was saying something, but Twilight herself was unable to comprehend, and looked at her body quizzically. Twilight then looked down at the floor, and saw that she had two pairs of hind legs, the inner two smaller than the outer pair. Then Twilight became aware – bodies had been swapped, and whatever agent in the drink that had knocked her out must be responsible. Twilight deduced that, as Tait hadn't drunk anything, he wouldn't be affected, and, as she was in Alexandria's body, Alexandria must be in Copper Glow's body, and Copper Glow was in Twilight's body.

Tait stirred. Copper Glow, in Twilight's body, went over to him. She was annoyed that she had been knocked out in such a way. They had been captured, and she was concerned for Tait, despite having a different body. Tait groggily shook his head and looked at who he thought was Copper Glow.

"They came at me, came at me with batons and large sticks. Why didn't you do anything?" he asked, bitterly.

Alexandria, in Copper Glow's body, stared at him. She had no idea what he had said, and struggled to understand him, but guessed correctly that he was steaming angry. The real Copper Glow spoke, much to Tait's perturbation.

"The drinks were drugged, Tait. To make things worse, the other two mares and I have swapped bodies." she said.

"Where are we now?"

"We've been captured and are now, from the looks of things, prisoners of these anarchists. I've had a little look around the room, and I think that this is a former Committee building."

"Oh, fluffing brilliant! Absolutely fluffing brilliant! Even though ponies know roughly what we're doing, none of them will know what's happened. We have gone beyond Celestia's light to the darkest reaches in the country, and I haven't even got a standard issue Royal Guard laser pointer! Fluffy! If you don't have anything sensible and helpful to say, particularly about us getting out of here, I would appreciate it if you kept quiet."

"Where did they hit you?"

"Back of the head."

"Mind if I look?"

Tait permitted her to look, and Copper Glow looked at the back of Tait's head, moving his long hair out of the way. After a few moments, Copper Glow found a crude plaster caked in blood. She reported this to Tait, and the room fell quiet. All four captives were thinking about how they were going to escape. The sound of the door unlocking broke them from these thoughts. Two masked ponies entered with four bowls of gruel.

"Dinner is served. Strictly, its breakfast – you've been out a while." said the one on the left.

"What do you want with us?" asked Copper Glow.

"To keep you out of the way; we can't have you spoiling the fun, can we? Oh, and before we forget..."

The anarchist threw a pen-like object at Tait, who caught and looked at it; it was a laser pointer. Tait smiled to himself, like a prediction of his had come true. The two masked ponies began backing out of the door. Tait saw his chance. Feinting towards the food, he charged the two masked ponies. Before they could react, Tait had forced them backwards, through the door, and into the wall in the corridor outside. The masked ponies slumped to the ground, and Tait looked around to check for witnesses; to his relief, there were none. The other three captives poked their heads out the door.

"Good thinking." commented Copper Glow.

"Thanks. Now, put these two in the cell; we don't want anyone to stumble upon them and raise the alarm." ordered Tait.

Copper obeyed. Tait thought quietly.

"As we're in the anarchists' base, let's look for those documents. They will probably be in an office somewhere." he said.

Going down the corridor to the left, and after going through a few short but barren passages, the group encountered a few anarchists. One of them looked at the quartet funnily.

"You lot seem familiar. Where'd I hear about you? Ah yes, Burna mentioned bringing in some ponies and an alpaca last night for holding."

The anarchists then glared at the quartet.

"Which means you've escaped."

Before the anarchists attacked, Tait quickly spoke, but stealthily reached for a chainsaw bayonet he had hidden in his long hair should there be a fight; he was grateful it was still there and hadn't been discovered by the anarchists.

"Actually, Burna was showing us where this place was; we're on your side here."

"Really? What are you here for?

"We're after the robots."

"Oh, Burna's taken you to the wrong place; you lot want Site Two for that. Ask for Dodgson."

The anarchist began giving directions to Site Two, and, when he had finished, Tait and the three mares began heading for an exit. Tait was keen not to encounter any more anarchists who were aware of them being captured and mentioned to Copper Glow that he should do the talking. Twilight, despite adapting to a green world of thoughts and emotions, managed to recall a spell that would return her and the other two mares to their rightful bodies. She quickly checked to ensure it was safe, and then cast it. The personalities of the three mares returned to their rightful bodies.

"What was that?" asked Tait, confused by the sudden flash of magic.

"I cast a spell to return us back to normal." said Twilight. "What's going on?"

Tait briefly informed Twilight of what was going on, and the group continued towards the exit. On the right-hand side, a short corridor broke off from the main corridor. There were two doors at the end of it. The left one, which had the number 101 in the top left corner, was labelled "Main Control Room", and the one on the right, number 102, was the "Backup Control Room". Alexandria immediately went to the other side of the corridor and slunk past. Twilight questioned this.

"If this a Committee building, then Door 101 leads to a _reconditioning_ room, where you betray your individuality and are moulded into what the Committee wanted you to be. The room behind Door 102, from the accounts of those who'd survived the horrors of Room 101, is even worse – your personality is ripped out, making it inpossible for you to have any other. You spend the rest of your existence, typically a couple of years but sometimes three or four, a mindless husk and an empty reflection of what you once were. I am understanding of why Alexandria wanted to be as far away from those two rooms as possible." answered Tait.

Once out of the facility, the group headed for the nearest town along a dirt path. An abandoned pig farm was on the right of the path. Tait was almost silent, pondering his options with a running commentary of hums, and keeping alert for any pursuit. The three mares also were quiet, still mildly disorientated by the drug in their drinks, until Twilight spoke.

"I thought Alex would have picked up on the drug." claimed the princess.

"Not necessarily. Kim figured out that, in order to hide something from Alex, she could do something bigger to cover it. In our case, the drugging of the drinks was probably covered by making the intrusion look like a break-in. Alexandria would have noticed that the drinks machine had been broken, but this seems to have prevented her from seeing what happened to the plastic bags that hold the concentrated drink syrup." replied Copper Glow.

At the town, Tait instructed the mares to go to Site Two. He, meanwhile, would meet them there and was going to get some assistance. Tait walked off, but Copper Glow stopped him.

"Tait, I won't let you go running off on your own with a head injury unless you've seen a doctor." she said.

"No, there isn't enough time for that."

"Take one of us with you, then."

"I am going where you cannot, but I will take someone else along with me if that is what you desire."

Tait attracted the attention of one of the locals and asked to take him to the nearest member of the CPD. Tait and the pony walked off, and the three mares wondered how they were going to get to Site Two. Twilight spotted the ZIL-131 from the day before being washed by a couple of stallions, and the trio of mares approached it.

"How did it go yesterday?" asked Twilight.

"Came second. We're a bit disappointed that one of the bathtubs came first by a whisker. We were gaining on them, to boot." replied one of the cleaners.

"Would you mind if we borrowed it? It is rather urgent."

The stallion looked at Twilight for a few seconds. Alexandria had an eyebrow raised at him.

"Yeah, okay. Just don't damage it. The keys are in the ignition."

Twilight thanked the stallion. Copper Glow got into the driver's seat, commenting that the steering wheel was on the wrong side, Twilight sat in the front passenger seat, and Alexandria sat on the back seat. Copper Glow started the engine and pulled away. After a few moments, she activated the lights and SGU-60 siren, and left the town.

* * *

 **A/N** Things should pick up a bit more in the next chapter.


	4. The Raid

The trio in the fire engine had been away from the town for several minutes now, and Copper Glow looked at the speedometer, which was sitting at 80 kilometres per hour. Twilight looked across at her and asked her to put her hoof down. Copper Glow managed a quick stare, commenting that the fire engine could go no faster.

Driving along a road by a railway line, Copper Glow glanced at the right-hand mirror and noticed a thick cloud of smoke rapidly approaching from behind. Over the sound of the fire engine's siren, she could hear a low-pitched whistle being repeatedly blown in short blasts and the deep chuffs that could only come from an Ivatt Class 2 mogul.

Copper Glow noticed that the Ivatt, when it was closer, was medium green but with pink windows. The number, 11211021, was written on the side of the cab in small black letters above the much larger name, Fizzy, which was white, green, and bi-tonal pink. Tait's head was stuck out the left window, long hair streaming behind him. Copper Glow used the fire engine's horn a couple of times, and Tait replied with a long blast on the whistle, and a pony in the cab looked out. The Ivatt thundered past the fire engine at about 120 kilometres per hour.

* * *

At Canterlot train station, Tait left the Ivatt in the marshalling yard, ready to go back to the station it came from with a goods train. He left the station with his companion, passing the vagrants and beggars in the street by the station. He headed for Rodnog, a CPD signalling facility at the top of the mountain Canterlot was perched on. Tait decided to take a shortcut through the castle gardens, where groundskeepers were busy at work. At the top of the mountain, Tait left a message to be relayed to all CPD stations across Equestria and began to make his way to Site Two, taking a detour to his local CPD station.

* * *

After tearing their way through the countryside and a feodum of the mayor of Canterlot for several hours, the three mares stopped in a fishing village for lunch, as Alex was very hungry, and both Copper Glow and Twilight were also feeling peckish. Twilight had a quick look at the village, which was located near a beach in a small bay. An island was in the middle of the bay, and a merchant ship was docking in the port.

Copper Glow and Twilight had a couple of sandwiches in a café in a market square, where a wandering minstrel was busking. Alexandria put both of her companions to shame by devouring a dozen sandwiches and still looking hungry.

A stallion lookout in a wooden watchtower nearby rang a bell several times, and a stallion emerged from a building across the square.

"The beacons of Canterlot! The beacons are lit! Rodnog calls for aid!" shouted the lookout.

"And we shall answer. Marshal the CPD!" replied the stallion on the ground.

The stallion in the tower began ringing the bell repeated until the square was full of ponies of all descriptions. The three mares took this as their invitation to leave. After a few minutes of driving, the trio encountered a river, with a ferry taking them across. When they reached the other side, they sped off. Twilight asked Copper Glow how long it would take them to reach Site Two. Copper Glow considered, before replying that it would take at least forty-five minutes, probably more. Twilight began asking Copper Glow questions.

"How long have you known Tait?" asked Twilight.

"What did I tell you yesterday? Call him by his surname unless he tells you otherwise. Anyway, we've known each other for a long time, decades even. In fact, he used to help my uncle when he was building the Black Grass units. Lucky made Allerton and High Strung with Tait's assistance, and then they split the rest of the work between themselves; Lucky made the remaining mares and Tait the stallions. I think Tait blames himself for what happened to Vulcan, having made him in the first place, but it's not his fault – the design was reliable, proven to work safely and even the Committee verified that Vulcan had been built to a high standard. The two incidents surrounding Allerton and High Strung were as a result of damage, and Vulcan's accident is still unexplained."

"Are you and Ta...Girling together?"

"Good gracious no. He's not interested in having that sort of relationship with me. Besides, he's an _alpaca_. I'm a _unicorn_. And even if we were together, he would be long gone before I go."

"Eh?"

"Obviously you are not familiar with unicorns of _Equus Secondus Anorexius Forgottenus_ like me; unlike the unicorns of _Equus Quatrus Insanus Populus,_ we have _very_ long lifespans compared to other ponies."

"How old are you now? You must be at least eighty."

"I'm seventy-three. _Tait_ is eighty-one. Actually, that reminds me of something. The Black Grass units had been programmed to start with a mental age of about twenty, and Tait told me that when they were turning Kimberly on for the first time, he remarked that he thought Kimberly looked rather cute. Uncle replied, rather cheekily, that, because Tait was twenty-one at the time, they could be a couple."

Twilight asked several more questions, with Copper Glow answering as best she could. This revealed to Twilight that Lucky had married Copper Glow's mother's sister, as well as Copper Glow being orphaned at a young age and had therefore moved to live with her uncle and aunt, although her two older sisters were old enough to live by themselves. Copper Glow's younger sister, Diamond Glow, was raised by relatives on her father's side of the family. Copper Glow also mentioned that the use of "animatronic" to describe the Black Grass and other units was an artefact title from Butterscotch, who was the only true animatronic, as the later creations were technically robots.

There was also a "bed-in" year where the NEMRA units were supervised; the first-of-series were watched over by Tait, and the subsequent units with the exception of Dawn Mist were supervised by the first-of-series, which was something that Allerton and Kimmeridge really enjoyed; Dawn Mist was supervised by Lucky. During this year, the units learnt about the world around them and how to interact with it. Copper Glow remarked that Kimberly was the funniest; in particular, her initial reaction to a mirror was like that of a cat and included a good deal of fear and curiosity.

* * *

When the mares arrived at the town where Site Two was located, they found Tait was waiting for them with his companion. Both were now wearing CPD apparel, which included a riot helmet, an ill-fitting Teflon vest, and armbands displaying their ranks and, in Tait's case, first aid skills. Tait also had a shield strapped to his left foreleg. Tait took the mares aside, explained that he had delivered a large crate of good whisky to the anarchists, and they were going to wait for another forty minutes. Copper Glow looked at Tait funnily.

"Are you trying to pull...an Etarvirp Yee style raid?" she asked.

"If it worked for them, it can work for me. Also, we have an insider."

"Is..."

"Polybius in there? Yes, he is. I think he'll do a little bit of encouragement for us."

Tait directed the group to the town's museum. Twilight became so absorbed that she didn't notice the passing of time until Copper Glow prompted her. Tait was already outside, speaking with a gathering of CPD officers, and Twilight observed the large quantity of CPD in the town. Tait finished his conversation with the other officers and approached the mares.

"We're going in. I want you three to stay out of the way, particularly in case things go south." stated Tait.

"But they've got my documents!" resisted Copper Glow.

"Miss Glow! You _will_ stay out of the way, even if we need to restrain you. However, I will get you your documents back." forced Tait.

One of the CPD officers blew a whistle, and the CPD entered Site Two. Inside, they found anarchists sprawled out left, right, and centre, completely legless. One was still standing and approached Tait while the inebriated anarchists were arrested and taken away for questioning.

"Colour Serjeant Girling." said the anarchist.

"Yes?" replied Tait.

The anarchist transformed into Polybius.

"I am after Dodgson." stated Tait.

"Follow me." instructed Polybius.

Polybius took Tait and a couple of corporals into one of the many rooms in the building. There, at a table, sat a drunken pony who looked like he was trying to be a secret agent. Polybius pointed at him and left to hand himself over to another member of the CPD for questioning. Tait indicated to the corporals to wait outside, and then approached Dodgson and sat opposite him.

"Dodgson, I take it?" asked Tait.

"Yes." Dodgson slurred.

"I was informed that you were in charge of releasing information about the Utterham Institute's robots."

"Yes."

"Some documentation was stolen from the Institute; what has happened to it?"

"Sent to Burna at Site F..."

Dodgson slumped onto the table. Tait left the room, and the two corporals arrested Dodgson. Tait took out a marker pen from inside his coat and scrawled 'Hello Cap'n Dodge' over several windows in the room next door.

After about an hour, during which the CPD dealt with the anarchists from Site Two, Tait returned to Twilight, Copper Glow, and Alexandria. Copper Glow immediately asked about her documentation, to which Tait gave the reply Copper Glow didn't want to hear.

"What site was the one we were holed up in this morning?" asked Copper Glow.

"That was Site Four." replied Tait.

"Let's go back there, then."

"Now? Besides, if Dodgson only said 'Site F...', that could be Site Four, Site Five, Site Fourt..." started Twilight.

"Yes, now. This 'Burna' must work there if he dropped us off there."

Tait confirmed that Burna did work at Site Four, having managed to ask Polybius. Tait then looked at his pocket-watch and commented that it was getting late, and even when they did get back to the other site, it would be too late for them to do anything useful. Twilight seconded Tait's statement. Tait added that he'd alerted the local CPD to Site Four's purpose, and requested that they blockaded the building until reinforcements arrived.

Copper Glow sighed and reluctantly agreed not to go back to Site Four that evening. Alexandria caught Copper Glow's eye, and gave her a sympathetic look that said: "I know how you feel, but don't worry too much about it.".

Tait located a nearby guest-house, and, because of Twilight's status, the proprietor insisted that the quartet have a room for the night for free, despite the repeated offer of payment. The group located a nearby free-house for tea, which Tait paid for.

The group returned to the guest-house later in the evening. Alexandria seemed the happiest of the lot, in part because she'd been allowed to eat three full three-course meals and it was the first time in a while that her stomachs were contented.

* * *

Copper Glow awoke suddenly and looked at the time – it was ten minutes until 6 o'clock in the morning. She looked out the window and saw a flickering red glow, and stashed Disinformation Highway, her teddy bear, under her duvet.

She went outside and saw that there had been a terrible accident. Several buildings had utterly collapsed, and others were partially demolished; fires were burning in some of the ruins. Dust and smoke hung in the air, along with shouts of confusion, bewilderment, and pain.

In one building, water cascading from a broken pipe fell onto exposed wiring, causing electric arcs to nearby conductive objects. Some ponies were tending to the wounded and others to the fires. The rising and falling tones of ambulances and the maniacally ringing bells of the fire engines in the distance made Copper Glow think that the entire situation belonged more in a horror film than in reality.

Copper Glow noticed a struggling silhouette in an almost wholly collapsed building nearby, lit by a backdrop of fire. Copper Glow ran over to help. Inside, she could see Kimberly squirming, her hindquarters crushed under a support beam. A fire was raging dangerously close by, and Kimberly's pelt was starting to smoke. Copper Glow could see her panicking wildly, trying to free herself.

Copper Glow used her magic to start lifting the beam, and Kimberly was able to drag out everything from her waist down away. _Her rear legs have been smashed beyond use. Her cooling system had better not be broken. Uncle won't like this, but poor Kim_ thought Copper Glow.

As she tried standing up, part of Kimberly's tail ignited, and the flames quickly spread all over her body. She began screaming. It was a fearful scream, full of panic, and was very loud. Copper Glow ran to Lucky's workshop and took a couple of the carbon dioxide fire extinguishers – one had a standard frosting horn, and the other had a horn with a bayonet fitting that could be inserted into Kimberly's CO2 injection port.

Copper Glow ran back to where Kimberly was ablaze and still screaming. Taking the extinguisher with the standard horn, Copper Glow released the contents of the extinguisher at Kimberly, directed at her head initially, then at the rest of the animatronic's body. Finally, Copper Glow directed the carbon dioxide at the fire nearby.

Copper picked Kimberly up magically and removed her from the building, taking the extinguishers with her. Even though the fire that had consumed Kimberly's blackened pelt had been put out, sections were still bubbling and melting. A short distance away from the building, Copper Glow released Kimberly, who lay on the ground.

After a few seconds, Copper Glow noticed smoke coming out of Kimberly's mouth. Acting quickly to prevent Kimberly's hydrogen cooling system catching fire but with a quick and uncomfortable glance around that only a teenager could do, Copper Glow shoved the horn of the undeployed fire extinguisher up Kimberly's backside, locked it into the injection port, and emptied the contents of the extinguisher into the animatronic. The inrush of suffocating gas caused Kimberly's badly burnt pelt to bulge and distort slightly before exiting through the mouth, while Copper Glow was fighting back Freudian thoughts but relieved she wasn't using a foam or powder extinguisher.

When the extinguisher was empty, Copper Glow disconnected the extinguisher, sat down, and wiped her forehead with the back of her left hoof. Kimberly slumped limply onto the ground, performing a Class 4 Emergency Shut-down initiated by SKALA.

Tait appeared from a nearby building, carrying a wounded pony on his back. He disappeared but returned a few minutes later without the pony. After asking what had happened, and receiving a response, Tait picked up Kimberly and began taking her to Lucky's workshop. Copper Glow got up and began to look around more. There was a rumble behind her, and she looked around; the building behind her had started to collapse. Copper Glow went to escape, but falling masonry tore into her back, causing her to fall to the ground with flames of pain and rivers of blood coming from the spot. More pain, then darkness.

Copper Glow woke up and looked at the time - 02:37. It was the third time that year she had remembered that night - the night that Vulcan was torn apart explosively. Kimberly had come dangerously close to being decommissioned that night. How many lives had been lost? How many lives had been changed through injury, sickness, and experiences? The Committee attended the scene within a couple of hours, taking notes, conducting interviews, and photographing evidence. The Institute arrived later that morning to assess for themselves what had happened.

Copper Glow sat up in bed. She supposed that she was fortunate to have survived. She turned to look at her back and summoned what was left of her original pair of wings, which she had lost that night. A couple of green stumps appeared. Copper Glow had always liked her real wings, which were similar to Vulcan's wings, but with a green frame instead of a brandy-brown one surrounding the glitter-filled heart-shaped innards. The glitter had supposedly allowed her to fly. Although the scars were no longer visible, the stumps still itched occasionally.

Copper Glow magically scratched the stumps of her real wings before lying down in bed. She slipped a hoof under the covers and pulled out Disinformation Highway. He was old and slightly tattered, but Copper Glow still had the same feelings towards him now as when she seventeen, when Vulcan died.

Copper Glow felt a presence nearby and looked to her right. Alexandria was standing there, looking extremely distraught. _It was probably unpleasant for her, seeing Kim like that. No sentient being, whatever they may be, should see their adoptive or birth mother burning_ , thought Copper. She shifted over in her bed, and Alex sat down next to her, legs going everywhere. Even if blood didn't relate the two of them, they still regarded each other as family, connected through Kimberly.

* * *

 **A/N** Another couple of chapters to go.


	5. The Return

The following morning, Tait and the three mares set off to Site Four, with Copper Glow retaking the position of the driver. As they were going along, Twilight asked to have a look at Tait's pocket watch. Tait handed it over, and Twilight saw that it was initially coated in silver, but most of this coating had been worn off over the years and was now a dull bronze colour. In the middle of the lid was a picture of a steam engine. Twilight handed it back when she was finished.

"That was a gift, many years ago, from a certain green unicorn." stated Tait.

"Thinking of her, she avoided me for about six months after I open my Friendship School; I don't know why."

Copper Glow laughed. Alexandria's face darkened.

"You haven't figured it out yet?" asked the red-horned unicorn.

Twilight shook her head.

"It was _because_ of your school that she avoided you. Kimberly was offended at a professional level because neither you nor any of your friends have teaching qualifications, none of you had any relevant experience when you started, and none of you had done a barring check so you can work around children. When one of your students _could have d_ _rowned_ , it should have been an alert that something was _very_ seriously wrong. But most of all, you insulted her a gurt deal at a personal level: by failing to ask for advice or even mentioning it to her in passing that you were going to found the school, you made her feel so utterly worthless. You nearly made SKALA angry, you upset Kimberly that much." remarked Tait.

"Oh dear. I didn't realise I made her feel that way." mumbled Twilight.

"It's not us you should be apologising to. I'm sure Copper and I can arrange something with our boss for you to apologise to Kimberly personally."

"What qualifications did she have?"

"Starting in the first academic year after being supervised by Allerton for twelve months, she did a four-year Masters in Engineering, specifically electromechanical engineering, followed by a year-long teaching degree; she did things that way because it opened more doors for her if she had done a three-year teaching degree. She did, however, take a year out between the two degrees due to the catastrophe involving Vulcan. For the two years Kimberly was working in Poniton, she was the junior of two teachers, and taught maths, science, and English, while the other teacher taught other subjects."

Twilight turned to Copper Glow.

"Copper, out of curiosity, are you any relation to one of the residents of Tartarus?" asked Twilight.

"What? Do you mean that student of yours that went for world domination? I am no relation to her. Contrary to popular belief, not all magic in Equestria was drained." replied Copper Glow.

"It didn't?"

"Whatever trick she pulled with that one, it appears to have only targeted _Quatrus_ magic. _Secondus_ magic was not affected as my colleagues can attest, and Kimberly, as she used _Secondus_ magic, reported having no problems. _Cinqus_ magic was unaffected as the two Red Post unicorns were still able to cast spells. I suspect _Primus and_ _Tertrus_ magic was also unaffected as magic is sourced differently depending on genus."

* * *

At Site Four, Copper Glow returned the fire engine to the stallions she had borrowed it from. Tait instructed the mares to engage themselves otherwise while he and the local CPD dealt with the anarchists. The three mares wandered off, and Tait went to find the local CPD.

Upon reaching the path leading to the anarchists' building, Tait encountered a twenty-strong Assault Pioneer platoon of the CPD's "Black Mafia" regiment, lead by a lakespony Pioneer Serjeant with an impressive beard; his insignia was a sawfish cutting a wing off an aeroplane. There were two corporals, three privates with Sten submachine guns, and fourteen privates with rifles. Tait approached the serjeant, who had a unicorn's horn; Tait had heard of the lakespony magicians but had never met one due to their rarity even amongst the lakesponies themselves.

"Serjeant, report." commanded Tait.

"Minimal activity, Colours. After a couple of attempts by those inside to leave, to which we responded with gunfire, they've stayed inside, sir." responded the serjeant.

"Why aren't there more troops here?"

"Rodnog put out an alert, sir; all available troops were called to Canterlot to deal with a violent protest. It sounded like it was getting hairy, sir; even the Royal Guard are being deployed, despite their uselessness. I heard that they were seriously considering using _suppression_."

The hairs on the back of Tait's neck that could stiffen did so – amongst the CPD, "suppression" was used to describe the action where any civilian discovered in public spaces thirty minutes after the Riot Act had been recited was shot with intent to kill rather than arrested. Tait considered his options briefly. There were an unknown number of anarchists in Site Four who would be on alert, and there were twenty-one members of the CPD to deal with them. However, he had to retrieve the documentation for Copper Glow. He took a shotgun out of his coat; at one point, due to a shortage of weapons at the start of the CPD, this had been a bicycle, and Tait had made it himself and was continuing to use it about forty years later. Tait then fixed his chainsaw onto the end as a bayonet.

"Serjeant, I am taking command here. We are going to storm that building, and all entities are to be considered hostile." declared Tait.

The serjeant raised an eyebrow but picked up his battle-axe. The other ponies picked up their weapons, waiting to see if Tait would say anything.

"A good leader does not lead an army to destruction just because he knows it will follow, serjeant." whispered Tait to the serjeant before turning to the rest of the Pioneers.

"I order you not to get shot by anarchists, and you will not die until I say so! Remember your training, and you will make it back alive. All right, ponies! TIME TO WAGE WAR!" declared Tait.

The gendarmerie began marching towards Site Four. Tait started to sing _It Was a Lover and His Lass_ , and the ponies under his command joined in at the beginning of the second line.

 _It was a lover, and his lass,  
With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,  
That o're the green corn field did pass,  
In the springtime, the only pretty ring time.  
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding.  
Sweet lovers love the spring._

 _And therefore take the present time.  
With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,  
For love is crowned with the prime.  
In the springtime, the only pretty ring time.  
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding.  
Sweet lovers love the spring._

 _Between the acres of the rye,  
With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino  
These pretty country folks would lie.  
In the springtime, the only pretty ring time.  
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding.  
Sweet lovers love the spring._

 _This carol they began that hour,  
With a hey and a ho, and a hey nonino  
How that a life was but a flower,  
In the springtime, the only pretty ring time.  
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding.  
Sweet lovers love the spring._

Upon reaching the building, the CPD began to take fire from anarchists.

"We have lost the element of surprise, and they do not fear us. Perhaps they will appreciate our devotion to Celestia and our ruthless efficiency." remarked Tait to the serjeant.

* * *

On the other side of the town, the three mares were looking for something to do. Alexandria suddenly stopped, looked at a pony, and began running after them. Twilight and Copper Glow started running after her. After a short chase, Alexandria caught up with the pony she had been following. Twilight and Copper Glow arrived a couple of seconds later. Alexandria approached the pony she had run after, a mare, and tapped her on the shoulder.

The mare reeled back momentarily when she saw Alexandria standing there, and Twilight and Copper Glow immediately thought the pony looked a bit like Alexandria, partially because of the gem-like eyes she had. After recovering from her shock, the mare looked at Alexandria with dawning realisation, before putting up a hoof to stroke Alexandria's cheek. Twilight noticed the tears starting to run down the mare's face.

"What's up?" asked Twilight.

"This...is my daughter." replied the mare.

"She was put up for adoption in Ponyville."

"Yes, there is a reason for that. I am married, and I was...unwilling impregnated by a stallion who isn't my husband. When my parents found out, they refused to let me terminate, but the moment the baby was born, they insisted I put it up for adoption. It is nice to see her again after so long."

"She was adopted by a teaching assistant in Ponyville and was raised by her alone. She now has her own family in Seaward Shoals. Although she's telepathic, she has global aphasia; she can't talk, understand speech, read, or write."

"Did she have any fillies?"

"Yes, three of them. She also had three colts." replied Copper Glow.

"I take it that her daughters have Twinkle Eyes as well?"

"Yes, just them, and not her sons."

"I thought as much. Every mare in our family has them, never the stallions, and is only passed down by the mares. In some families it's the opposite – the stallions have them, not the mares."

* * *

An hour later, the CPD emerged from Site Four. They had a few cuts and bruises, and one of the corporals had broken his foreleg and was being assisted by one of the privates, but there were no other wounds amongst them; Tait had tended to the injuries of those under his command as best he could. Tait was disturbed – while the CPD had been collecting the documentation the anarchists had for further analysis, nothing had been found relating to the Autonoma Project.

After escorting the injured corporal to the hospital, Tait and the remaining members had a quick lunch break before Tait ordered his subordinates to await his instructions at the train station. Tait, meanwhile, searched for his female companions, eventually locating the three of them in a park. Tait explained the situation to them.

"Maybe Site Four got rid of the docum... no, that wouldn't work - nopony arrived." Twilight thought aloud.

"My concern is that Dodgson sent them to Site Five. It would explain why no-one came here, but some tried to leave." reasoned Copper Glow.

"Yes, my thoughts exactly. Are we in agreement that we should go to Site Five?" asked Tait in concurrence with Copper Glow.

The three mares agreed with him. Twilight looked at Copper Glow and noticed she had a white crystal embedded in both of her irises. Copper Glow became unnerved by Twilight staring at her and looked at Tait.

"Copper, _eyes_." said Tait.

Copper Glow performed a spell that made the crystals disappear. Twilight asked Copper Glow about this, to which the reply was that all _Equus Secondus_ had little crystals in their irises. It wasn't painful but did mildly affect their vision. Because it was unusual and attracted unwanted attention, Copper Glow preferred to cast a spell that hid her eye crystals; however, this spell was temporary.

The group made their way to the train station, and, once there, Tait instructed his CPD colleagues to join him on his journey to Site Five. Copper Glow inspected a newspaper stand, and her eyes widened in horror. She looked at her companions, slumping onto the ground.

"This is it. It's over. We've failed." she muttered.

Twilight manoeuvred herself closer to the newspaper stand, as did Alex and Tait, who'd ordered his subordinates to stay put. The quartet beheld before them all the national newspapers bar two with a headline about animatronics. _The Daily Torygraph, The Sunset Times, The Grauniad, The Indyscribablyboring_ , _The Pink 'Un_ , and _The Canterlot Herald_ all mentioned them, as well as _The Daily Brexpress_ , _The Daily Heil_ , _Second News_ , _The Currant Bun,_ and _The Daily Stun._ There was a small mention from _The Communists_ , _The Screws of the World_ , and _The Old Day_. The only papers that didn't have anything on the front page were the _EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEVENIN' STANNITT,_ which was complaining of "Yet Another Tube Strike" with a small article on page 94 about animatronics right next to an article about Princess Celestia getting a cold, and the fortnightly _Etavirp Yee_ from last Friday.

Tait helped Copper Glow stand up again, who seemed rather dazed, and sat her on a bench. He disappeared for a few minutes, only to reappear with a cup of tea that he gave to Copper Glow. When the train to the nearest town to Site Five arrived, Tait ordered his CPD subordinates onto the train and looked at his female companions.

"Come on," he commanded. "We've still got work to do."

* * *

Copper Glow had the Monday off work, as Canterlot was in lockdown following the riots. She'd been beset by telephone calls from friends and acquaintances ever since she got back home Saturday evening, as her name had been mentioned in some of the news reports. During a few moments respite in her kitchen, Copper Glow held her bottle that she had recovered from the snow in front of her, considering what it might contain. She uncorked it, and took a whiff of the liquid contents; there was no noticeable odour. Copper Glow poured a small measure into a glass and re-corked the bottle, putting it on the table next to the roses. The unicorn eyed the clear contents, sniffed them, and the drew them into her mouth. She set the glass down on the table as she swirled the liquid in her mouth; there was no taste or texture. Copper Glow swallowed.

Nothing happened for a few seconds before Copper Glow had severe stomach aches that forced her into a tightly curled ball of pain on the floor. She endured this for several moments before she started convulsing violently. Breathing was difficult and noisy, and Copper Glow was drooling frothy saliva stained with blood. The stomach aches had become an intense burning sensation, and the mare was unable to focus on anything going on. Copper Glow was in agony for a couple of minutes, when the spasms lessened and the muscles relaxed. The stomach aches faded and breaths became softer and lighter. At this point, the _what_ of Copper Glow died, but the _who_ continued.

* * *

Copper Glow opened her eyes. She felt weird. The unicorn saw the bloody froth on the floor in front of her, yelped, and jumped up.

 _"Good afternoon, Copper Glow."_ said a voice at the back of her head; it was a smooth, soothing female voice with a Lancaster accent, oozing compassion.

"Who's there?" asked the mare, confused.

 _"I am CHESTNOST, your subconscious."_

"What happened?"

 _"The liquid in the bottle has...transformed you."_

"Transformed me? Into what?"

 _"Have you not noticed? You are not breathing, nor can you smell the roses on the table."_

"But what am I?"

There was urgent knocking at the door. Copper Glow felt herself become drawn to the door, so she went over and opened it. Alexandria was on the other side and squeezed her broad backside through the door. She looked at Copper Glow, a look of horror slowly forming.

 _"She knows."_ said CHESTNOST.

Copper Glow looked at Alexandria questioningly. The response was abrupt and quick, with Alexandria's face saying: _You have become NEMRA!_

Copper Glow screamed.

* * *

 **A/N** Watch your thoughts - they become words. Watch your words - they become deeds. Watch your deeds - they become habits. Watch your habits - they become character. Character is everything.


	6. The Relocation

It was four weeks after news of the Autonoma Project had been leaked to the press. Copper Glow was lurking around one of the lesser-used parks on the outskirts of Canterlot; being referenced by several newspapers made her feel uncomfortable showing her face in public. She heard an alpaca humming, and, recognising it as Tait, she approached him. It was an unsettled hum, and having known Tait for long enough to decipher the humming, Copper Glow was able to determine that he was emotionally ill at ease. Copper Glow found Tait sitting on a bench by the boating lake.

"Hey, Tait." hailed Copper Glow.

"Oh, hullo Copper." replied Tait morosely.

"What's up?"

Tait gave Copper Glow a dark look, and his face contorted in anger.

"No! Don't...just don't go there! The stuff in the press is bad enough, but the riots... if it hadn't been for that Matilda A11 with the CDL... I forbid you from talking about it!" growled Tait, and Copper Glow took a few hesitant steps backwards.

"Okay, Tait, please calm down. Whenever you're ready, I'm happy to listen." said Copper Glow carefully.

After a few minutes calming himself down, Tait spoke again.

"I resigned from work four weeks ago. After a week doing a handover of our subproject to Evening Light, I was put on garden leave. I'm not entirely sure what to do with myself now. Shroud refused my request on behalf of Twilight, by the way. I've asked to leave the CPD, but they refused and offered to reassign me somewhere quieter and less likely to get me into trouble. Where, however, is the question. What happened to you, anyway? I've not seen you for a month." said Tait.

"I was summarily dismissed from work. Evening Light is a good mare; she'll handle the NEMRA subproject well. How are _they_ holding up?" asked Copper Glow.

"As one would expect. Kimmers is _very_ flustered and nervous; it's bad enough that she's moved in with Evening Light. Mohandas moved to a backwater village, but I suspect that's probably because of his tax evasion. Perosteck wants to apprehend all anarchists, while Kun-Kun wants to uncover all the details of the incident. Ludgrove is outwardly unfazed and continuing to vet'nary, but she is unimpressed by the reveal. Prefect isn't letting the situation get the better of him, but he's still concerned."

"Did you do anything with that bottle of clear liquid I gave to you?" asked Copper Glow, and Tait scoffed.

"Good gracious, no. Alexandria came to me a few weeks ago and forbade me from opening it. Why?"

"Because...it changed me."

"Copper, this whole débâcle has changed the lot of us, not just you."

"True, but I'm no longer me. This isn't me. I'm an electromechanical representation of me."

"You mean...oh fluffy. It turned you into a NEMRA, didn't it? No wonder Alexandria was in the mood she was. What you going to do?"

"I'm going home. Not Shrike Street, Solent Hill either, but my real home, and I'm going to stay there. Hopefully, once there, I'll be able to become normal again."

"The place you visit every year? Err, Ponyland?"

Copper Glow nodded. Tait sighed.

"I'll ask the CPD if I can be relocated there. In all due honesty, Copper, I don't want to stay in Equestria if you aren't going to be here. Having left my parents in the lands south of Equestria, I don't know anyone as well as I know you or who knows me as well as you do; you're my only real friend. Besides, if things don't work out, you'll need me to look after you."

"I expect Josephine will miss you. 'Very consistent' she tells me, 'always coming in at lunchtime, and siting in the same place, eating the same chocolate orange cake with a pot of Earl Grey tea'. But in all due seriousness, if you do come with me, remember this: in the same way that you, as a Colour, have the rank privilege of being a Warrant Officer Class 2, I have the same privileges as a princess when in Ponyland because I'm a unicorn; we're rare there. Just because I can do something there, it doesn't mean that everyone else, including you, can do it."

There was silence for a few minutes, and Tait looked around, ears twitching. He saw the tubby cream and pink unicorn with light turquoise mane and tail coming towards him and Copper Glow.

"Kimmers is inbound."

* * *

Alexandria was with Explorer and Ratcatcher. Explorer had given birth to twins, a few weeks overdue. One of them, a unicorn colt, was stillborn. The unicorn filly survived. Her coat was a medium-dark green, and her little hooves were a light brown. Her mane was a dirty blonde, while her tail was made up of same dirty blonde of the mane mixed with a light blue. Whenever the filly opened her eyelids, she revealed her gemlike red eyes. Explorer and Ratcatcher both agreed that their daughter should be called Kimber, due to her strong resemblance to Kimberly.

* * *

In her castle, Twilight was approached by Water-Lily, who was less than impressed if her facial expression was to go by. Water-Lily barked and whistled once when she entered the room, and walked towards Twilight until she was about six foot away. Twilight, although impressed by the auditory processing the lakespony was capable of for echolocation, noticed that Water-Lily's stomach was ever-so-slightly starting to bulge, being about halfway through a twelve and a half month pregnancy.

"I want them gone, now." growled Water-Lily

"Who do you want to go?" asked Twilight.

"Several hippocampi have arrived in Ponyville; I thought their kind had been exterminated. I know it's them as well because I recognise the sounds they make. I want you to get rid of them because if I do, they will be leaving in long wooden boxes."

"They're perfectly entitled to live where they like. Besides, killing them is unacceptable."

"You know what they did to me, but you don't know what it was like to live through it. Every day was full of four things: fear, pain, hunger, and gruelling labour. Even if the hippocampus in Ponyville had absolutely nothing to do with it, I wouldn't be able to control myself if I could see them."

"But couldn't you avoid them?"

Water-Lily moved to punch Twilight in the face, but stopped halfway through, and thumped the ground instead, tears streaming from her eyes. She collapsed onto the ground, crying uncontrollably.

* * *

Tait was roaming the empty halls of the Institute facility in Canterlot. The doors and windows were locked shut, and it was pitch black outside. Not even the night workforce, including late workers and the cleaners, which should have been there, were present. Eventually, Tait found Pip, looking equally confused, and they managed to locate an interface terminal for TITAN. Tait inserted his ID badge. A message appeared on the screen, to which Tait used the keyboard to respond to.

 _READING CARD. PLEASE WAIT..._

 _GREETINGS, PRINCIPLE TECHNICIAN TAIT GIRLING. PLEASE STATE REQUEST._

 _Was an evacuation ordered within the last three weeks?_

 _NEGATIVE._

 _Are any employees onsite except myself and Pip?_

 _CONFIRM: LEVEL 6 SECURITY GUARD BUNNY "PIP" FOREST?_

 _Confirm._

 _PLEASE WAIT..._

 _NEGATIVE. NO OTHER EMPLOYEES ONSITE._

 _Are there any other lifeforms present?_

 _PLEASE WAIT..._

 _NEGATIVE. NO OTHER LIFEFORMS PRESENT._

 _What's happened?_

 _UNKNOWN. ANOMALY DETECTED._

 _Location?_

 _CENTRAL CORRIDOR, BLUE 4._

 _Thank you. Exit._

The terminal returned Tait's ID card. The duo proceeded to move to the central blue corridor on the fourth floor. Once there, they found a slowly spinning white orb, with tendrils of electricity arcing onto exposed metal items in the corridor. Both Tait and Pip started being dragged closer, and they felt it at once: the orb wanted them; it wanted to devour them. Pip shouted "I'm firin' my laser!" and fired a laser from his mouth at the orb, which exploded, throwing Pip and Tait into the walls.

Tait woke up in bed, breathing heavily. What _was_ that? The telephone rang, and Tait went to answer it. Pip was on the other end of the line, wondering how Tait was; he'd just had a bad dream involving the two of them almost being devoured by a white orb.

* * *

Tait and Copper Glow were in a pleasant green field, with scattered flowers, a few trees, and a nearby lake; Copper Glow had just performed a special teleportation that allowed the two of them to enter Ponyland from Equestria. Tait was in his Number Two uniform with the crimson sash, and his left breast was adorned with enough medals to make a scrap metal merchant stare; Copper Glow could have sworn a few of the brag rags were new. A few Earth ponies were having a picnic with a unicorn nearby, and the duo approached them.

"Mind if we join you?" asked Copper Glow.

"Certainly. We were expecting you; Crystal told us you were coming. How long will your visit be this time?" asked the unicorn pleasantly, pouring tea from a thermos into a couple of mugs; she was white with a silver horn and hooves, and had a white mane and with silver streaks, along with silver swirls and spots all over her barrel.

"Sounds like her to know when I'd turn up. I do not intend to leave this time, Silver Swirl; I want to stay here rather than go back to Equestria." answered Copper Glow.

"Hm. And who is your...friend."

"Colour Serjeant Tait Girling of the Swede Bashers Regiment of Equestria's Civil Protection and Defence. The rank is spelt with a 'j': 'a rifleman is a slave to no man', as he is always telling me."

"You've come to the wrong place, Mr Girling: not only are crime and war non-existent here to the point of being alien concepts, although I do look out for the citizens of this world, but there aren't any swedes for you to bash, either."

Silver Swirl smiled; Tait returned it.

"Come, drink your tea, before it gets cold. Have one of Sweet Berry's sandwiches as well; she made them for us this morning. We can get to know you better later, Mr Girling."

Silver Swirl passed one of the mugs to Tait, who happily accepted it, and the other to Copper Glow, who politely declined, claiming that she wasn't thirsty. Silver Swirl was a bit taken back by this but drank it herself instead. Tait took a sandwich, ate it, and then asked if he could have another.

* * *

In private, Copper Glow was talking to Twinkle Star, an entirely pink princess who could make wishes come true. After Copper Glow had explained her predicament, Twinkle Star nodded, and mustered her powers, focusing them on Copper Glow. After the pink glow faded, Copper Glow staggered sideways, shuddered, and sniffed; she could smell Twinkle Star's distinctive yet faint scent, which was a mix between honeysuckle and jasmine.

 _It's worked!_ thought Copper Glow. She thanked Twinkle Star, asking her to keep quiet about things, and went outside. A silver blur bowled Copper Glow over onto her back, and a silver colour-swap of Copper Glow stood over her.

"Hey, you're back! It's _so good_ to see you again, sis! How are you? How are things going? How long are you staying? Do you have any of your interesting stories to tell? Do you have..." asked the silver pony quickly, with tears of joy on her face.

"Silver Glow, _please,_ one at a time. I know you're pleased to see me, but I can't answer you that quickly." interrupted Copper Glow, getting up.

Silver Glow instantly hugged her younger sister tightly.

"I've missed you so much, Copper. We need to do something together. We could have a walk and a picnic somewhere! Please?"

Copper Glow looked at her elder sister's pleading face, and couldn't resist agreeing, provided they did it the following day.

* * *

Silver Swirl was walking with Tait in a secluded garden, explaining the laws of Ponyland. Tait was receptive to this, and Silver Swirl took him on a quick tour, introducing him to many of the residents.

"We don't have many foreigners here. Most leave after a short time." stated Silver Swirl.

"I don't intend to leave, princess. Without Copper, I...wouldn't have any friends." replied Tait.

Tait sighed. Silver Swirl looked at him.

"Something bothers you. Something deep. When you want to talk about it, any of us will listen. We will always be there for you," said Silver Swirl, smiling gently. "Come now, dinner will be served soon. We want you to join us."

Tait looked at the setting sun and followed Silver Swirl indoors.

* * *

 **A/N** And that's it. Many appreciations if you've got this far. Bonus if you got all the references. Please review, as a further bonus chapter or Obscurity 4 may be considered based on the reception of this fanfiction.


End file.
